RMS St Helena

The 1989-built RMS Saint Helena ship is one of the world's last still operational "Royal Mail Ships" (RMS), the most famous of which is Cunard's RMS Queen Mary 2. It was specifically constructed for cargo-passenger shipping to supply St Helena Island. This remote British overseas territory is in the South Atlantic Ocean, and approx 1200 mi (~1900 km) off Africa's coast.

The current shipowner is RPTD SOLD UNDISCLOSED INTEREST. In July 2025 was announced that the ship is long-term chartered to the new company and travel brand "Terra Nova Expeditions". Established by Greg Carter (co-founder of Chimu Adventures), the Australian company plans to start Antarctic voyages in winter 2026-2027.

The vessel is currently Djibouti-flagged (MMSI 621819108). During its ferry service (1990-2017) and under the St Helena Line Ltd ownership, it was UK-flagged (MMSI 232669000) and registered in London.

The ship used to depart once every 3 weeks from Cape Town (South Africa), carrying passengers and supplies to Saint Helena Island before continuing to Ascension Island (to the north). By the "ferry cruise" schedule, passengers had to stay on St Helena Island for at least 8 nights.

However, that changed when Saint Helena Island got its first international airport (June 2016-opened), offering direct flights from Britain and South Africa. This development saw the famous Royal Mail Ship retired and changed the island forever. According to the UK Government estimates, up to 30,000 visitors could visit Saint Helena Island annually via flights. The first passenger flights to St Helena Island started on October 14, 2017.

The voyage (originally intended as the RMS St Helena's last one) began on June 16th, 2016, from the UK and ended on July 15th in Cape Town. As part of this farewell sailing, Royal Mail organised a letter exchange with pupils from St Helena Island and Cardiff. However, due to the airport's postponed opening, the ship's schedule was extended as an interim measure, running through July 2017.

Shipboard facilities

By design, RMS St Helena was equipped to transport a wide range of cargo (including liquids) to meet the needs of St Helena Island's population. Initially, she had 128 passenger berths and common facilities, including lounges, a shop, a swimming pool, Infirmary (well-equipped medical facilities served by a resident physician).

During the drydock refurbishment in 2012, the passenger capacity was extended (128 to 156) with an additional 24 cabin berths, and a gym/fitness room was added.

The dydock refurbishment in 2025 (USD 10.8 million project) transformed the cargo ship into an ice-strengthened (1C-classed) expedition cruise ship.

The max passenger capacity was reduced from 156 to 98.

The introduced modern amenities include a science laboratory and VR technology (virtual reality headsets) to minimize seasickness.

The boat has 4 passenger decks (3 with cabins) and a total of 56 staterooms.